CONTACT/FOLLOW

Synopsis: As the person responsible for taking down a brutal human trafficker, Alice Appleton fears retaliation at every turn. No one knows about her past, which is exactly how she prefers it...until the sexy cop next door comes knocking.

Detective Reese Bareden thinks he knows what makes women tick, but his ever-elusive neighbor keeps him guessing like no other. Is his goal to unmask Alice's secrets? Or protect her from a dangerous new threat? One thing is certain: their chemistry is a time bomb waiting to explode. And with no one to trust but each other, Reese and Alice are soon drawn into a deadly maze of corruption, intrigue and desire-and into the line of fire....

Interview: 1. How did you come up with the idea for your book?

No idea. The ideas are just... there. I’m so amazed by authors who can teach this stuff, because it’s impossible for me. I’ll be minding my own business (often working on a different book) and bam! I get hit upside the head with characters who want on the page – or sometimes they just show up on the page without even introducing themselves first – and sometimes that’s not enough for them. They want their own books too!

It’s almost magical to me. I could never dissect the process or explain it.

It just is.

Once the characters are there, THEY tell me what the idea is. They lead me through the plot, sometimes page by page – although sometimes they tell me the whole story right up front.

2. Can you tell us about the journey that led you to write your book?

For “Bare It All,” book #2 in the “Love Undercover” series, Reese is the hero. I was writing about Logan and Pepper from book #1 and then suddenly Logan called his buddy Reese, who I found out was also a detective. He said he had some secrets – and I had to keep writing to find out what they were.

Weird, right? I’m always as surprised as the reader! But that’s what keeps it fun, I guess.

Anyhoo... Reese was a secondary character and then, because of how big he was on the page, I knew he’d be book #2. Rowdy and Dash also showed up in book #1, and I knew right away they’d demand their own books as well.

Much of “Bare It All” was worked out in the first book. Reese met Alice, and we all knew right away they’d be perfect for each other. How that would happen, what would propel them into a romance, wasn’t crystal clear, so I had to wait for Alice to tell me some things, and for her to work out some stuff with Reese...

Yes, they talk to me a lot – often when I’m trying to sleep!

3. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything about the book?

Well, not deliberately. I don’t turn a book in until I’m happy with it. But if I started from scratch I’m sure the characters might change things, go down a few different paths maybe, saw a few different things. They’re very unpredictable!

4. Do you have a musical playlist you listen to when writing? If so, what kind of music?

Yes! LOVE my playlist. I have a lot of Kid Rock on there. He’s my fave.

I have a few artists where I like only one song – like “Rumour” by Adele, or “List of Demands” from Saul Williams. Overall I have around 200 songs on my playlist.

5. What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I write well with chaos. If the house gets too quiet my mind wanders away from my book. I usually have the music playing pretty loud (and yeah, I sing along and bounce in my chair) with a few candles burning and my many pets bugging me every few minutes. My desk at home faces the pond so I can see the fish jump and the occasional hawk snag a meal.

My desk at the lakehouse faces the lake so I can see the fishermen go by, the skiers and boaters... I like water and find it very inspirational.

6. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you. Times 100. I have the nicest, most considerate and caring and wonderful readers in the whole world! Thank you for going on this journey with me. Thank you for becoming online friends, and for sharing coffee with me in the morning. Thank you for picking up my books and telling me your thoughts and especially thank you for writing online reviews at Amazon and BN, etc...

Thank you for helping me with research, and sometimes for letting me steal your names off my Facebook wall. (Yes, I do that.) Writing is a blast, but it wouldn’t be nearly so much fun without such amazing readers!